Flagship Airlines Flight 3379

On December 13, 1994, Flagship Airlines Flight 3379, a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Raleigh, North Carolina, crashed during a go-around, killing 15 out of the 20 people on board. The aircraft, a British Aerospace Jetstream with 18 passengers and 2 crew members, was approaching Raleigh–Durham International Airport when the flight's captain decided to conduct a go-around after believing that one of the engines had failed. During the go-around, he failed to follow the procedures for a single-engine go-around. The aircraft stalled and crashed into a forest southwest of the airport. Both crew members as well as 13 passengers died; the 5 surviving passengers suffered serious injuries.^[1][2]

Flagship Airlines Flight 3379

Wreckage of the aircraft
Accident
Date	December 13, 1994
Summary	Loss of control during go-around, pilot error
Site	Morrisville, near Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, United States 35°50′05″N 78°52′01″W
Aircraft
A Flagship Airlines Jetstream 32, similar to the one involved.
Aircraft type	Jetstream 32
Operator	Flagship Airlines dba American Eagle
Call sign	EAGLE FLIGHT 379
Registration	N918AE
Flight origin	Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina
Destination	Raleigh–Durham International Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina
Occupants	20
Passengers	18
Crew	2
Fatalities	15
Injuries	5
Survivors	5

The flight route from Greensboro to Raleigh is about 70 miles (110 km). Observers at the crash scene said it was foggy and sleeting. The airport reported a temperature of 37 °F (3 °C) with steady drizzle.^[2]

Aircraft and crew

The crew for Flight 3379 were Captain Michael Hillis, 29, and First Officer Matthew Sailor, 25.^[3]

The aircraft was manufactured in 1991 and had logged 6,577 flying hours.^[4]

Investigation

On October 24, 1995, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their report on the crash. The crash was blamed on Captain Hillis incorrectly assuming that an engine had failed. Hillis also failed to follow approved procedures for engine failure single-engine approach, go-around, and stall recovery. Flagship Airlines management was blamed for failing to identify, document, monitor, and remedy deficiencies in pilot performance and training.^[5][6]

Memorial

In May 2016, a memorial was dedicated at Carpenter Park in Cary, NC, USA to the passengers, crew, families, and responders of both Flight 3379 and AVAir Flight 3378, which crashed near RDU Airport in 1988.^[7]

In popular culture

The crash was featured on season 22 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, in the episode titled "Turboprop Terror".^[8]